But the resistance is not accepting any of these moves. Whatever credibility the newly appointed ministers may have had evaporated as soon as they accepted positions in a government that owes its existence to an election held under conditions of violent repression and censorship. The "truth commission" includes not a single
representative of those who have been repressed, and is therefore seen as a sham, a "whitewash commission." Since it is generally assumed that the United States was complicit in the coup in some way, any international recognition that the Lobo government achieves will not add anything to its credibility in Honduras.
The hollowness of Lobo's statements about "reconciliation" and "truth" was demonstrated on February 4, with the discovery of the body of 29 year old mother of three, Vanessa Zepeda, an activist of the Union of Workers of the Honduran Social Security Institute, and an emerging leader of the Resistance. On the same day a report came that two young cameramen working for the opposition TV Globo had been kidnapped and tortured by men who claimed to be police. As usual, these crimes are "unsolved," and no disciplinary action is contemplated against the police.
The Honduran armed forces have 20,000 members on active duty, and there are about 8,000 police. There are also about 60,000 private security guards. You see these guards all over, armed with shotguns, not just in front of banks, but guarding supermarkets, hotels, pizza places, etc. Developers, mining concerns, factories, and other corporate interests have their own armed security forces. Given all of these armed men serving the interests of the oligarchy, there is clearly the possibility of another coup if a truly legitimate government were to be elected. I asked several people whether elements within the army might develop some kind of patriotic rebellion, but this was dismissed as impossible. The answer I got was variations of, "The only thing we can hope for with the army is that it would disappear," since the only function the Honduran army has is to repress the Honduran people.
Given the massive forces of repression ready to crush any kind of armed resistance, this route is rarely mentioned. The Resistance has been resolutely non-violent, apart from some spontaneous responses to police violence very early in the struggle.
Honduras is the third poorest country in the Americas. The economic problems of the United States affect Honduras intensely, since the United States imports 70 % of Honduras's exports, and also because remittances from Hondurans living in North America have fallen off. The turmoil that has accompanied the coup and its aftermath has had a very negative effect on Honduran business. Recognition by the United States and a few other countries will probably lead to some increase in business activity, but the overall prospect seems bleak.
The Resistance expects the struggle to go on for years, hoping to build a movement that brings in many people who have not been active in the past. Communication is a big concern, with community radio stations playing a role, especially if the anti-coup commercial radio stations that depend on advertising revenue are not able to continue providing the solid support that they have given the movement in the past. The internet will also be useful. Political education will be important, as well as a democratic organization solidly based on broad participation of all popular sectors.
The basic program of the Resistance has three elements: non-recognition of the Lobo government, no dialogue or negotiation with what is seen as an illegitimate regime, and a constituent assembly to create a new, just constitution as the only real solution to the situation. Work on a new constitution is proceeding even without official sanction. COPINH, Consejo Civico de Organizaciones Populares y Indigenas, was founded in 1993 to defend the interests of the Lenca people who live in the Western Highlands. COPINH has issued a call for a Peoples Assembly in the city of La Esperanza, March 12 to 14, where the ideas that would be embodied in a new constitution will be discussed.
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